


let me watch over your heart (for a little while anyway)

by daysofinspiration



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 00:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11909295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daysofinspiration/pseuds/daysofinspiration
Summary: It's not like Maggie and Lucy interact all that often; they coexist around each other. Alex is good at balance, at communication and keeping things open and honest. Lucy sees Maggie here and there, but generally, Alex keeps the relationships separate. Lucy doesn't know Alex's other partner particularly well.But it's not like Lucy can just leave her here like this.





	let me watch over your heart (for a little while anyway)

She slips her key into the lock on Alex's apartment door, frowning when she finds it already open. Alex is not the kind to leave her doors unlocked.

She would text Alex to ask, but her phone is as close to dying as it can get without giving up on life entirely and she's on call with the DEO right now, so Lucy would like to extend the battery as long as she can. She has a power cord at her desk at work and that's her next stop as soon as she's finished picking up some paperwork Alex left for her.

The stack of files is on the coffee table, exactly where Alex said it would be.

The stack of files is untouched, unread, and unsigned, exactly as Lucy knew they would be.

Alex is a beast when she's out in the field, but the girl puts off doing paperwork like nobody's business.

Sure, she'll read lab reports and medical journals, but it's like she makes it her mission in life to avoid the paperwork that Lucy needs her to _sign before you leave the country for a week, Danvers._

She's in the middle of grumbling to herself and stuffing the paperwork into her bag when she hears it.

Someone is in Alex's washroom.

Retching, by the sounds of it.

Lucy straightens and her hand moves to her hip instinctually even though she's not in her work gear. It's irrelevant whether they pose a threat to Lucy or not - and it sounds like not - there's still someone here when Alex isn't home.

She drops her bag and moves down the hallway cautiously. Toeing the washroom door open she finds Maggie, on her knees and heaving into the toilet bowl. Her arms are shaking as she clutches the seat.

It's not like Maggie and Lucy interact all that often; they coexist around each other. Alex is good at balance, at communication and keeping things open and honest. Lucy sees Maggie here and there, but generally, Alex keeps the relationships separate. Lucy doesn't know Maggie particularly well.

She knows that Maggie loves Alex; she knows the happiness Maggie brings to Alex. But she doesn’t know all that much about Alex's other partner.

But it's not like Lucy can just leave her here like this.

"Maggie," she says gently and Maggie tenses. "It's me, it's Lucy."

Maggie groans and starts to tell her to leave, but she's interrupted by another wave of nausea. Lucy can see Maggie's stomach clench and her shoulders jerk as she heaves into the toilet again.

Lucy moves into the room, dropping to her knees on the mat behind Maggie. She combs her fingers through Maggie's damp, sweaty hair and holds it back for her as Maggie's stomach expels its contents again.

Maggie tenses and shakes and groans but doesn't try to fight Lucy, she's too weak and dizzy for that.

When there's a pause, when Maggie's stomach settles for a moment, Lucy gropes with one hand, pulling open the drawer next to the sink. She finds a hair tie and gently pulls Maggie's hair into a loose tail, keeping it off her face.

Maggie heaves again and Lucy has to clench her jaw and look away because the sound is enough to make her own stomach flip, but she rubs Maggie's back and murmurs for Maggie to let it all out.

When she finishes Maggie spits into the toilet and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Lucy tisks but before she can lean away for a square of toilet paper Maggie's heaving again. It's mostly bile by now, but Maggie moans and cries in frustration and pain and Lucy keeps rubbing her back.

She leans over Maggie and flushes the toilet when the round of retching finishes. Maggie collapses and lays with her cheek on the rim of the bowl, arms spread out limply over the seat. Her face is pale and sweaty. She lets out a sad whining sound.

Lucy stands and kicks off her heels as she steps over to the medicine cabinet, finding something that will help soothe Maggie's stomach. She holds the cup Alex keeps by the sink under the tap, filling it with lukewarm water. She pulls out the toothpaste and the toothbrush that isn't hers and that she knows isn't Alex's.

Maggie hasn't moved.

Lucy grabs the hand towel and dampens it. Then she settles back down behind Maggie and lays the wet cloth on the back of her neck. Maggie gives a whimpering sigh in what Lucy interprets as thanks.

It's quiet for a moment. Lucy rubs her back but doesn't encourage her to move. She just keeps Alex's other partner company in her misery.

All at once Maggie is lurching forward again, but she's only gagging and dry-heaving this time. Lucy can see her crying and can see her stomach muscles tightening with each heave. It makes Lucy frown, seeing someone in pain that she can't ease.

When Maggie's done, when her stomach is finally empty and her body is exhausted, she wordlessly takes the toilet paper Lucy hands her and wipes her mouth. Carefully, respectful that Maggie may not have the energy to push her away if her touch is unwanted, Lucy helps shift Maggie so she's sitting with her back against the bathtub, so she has something her body can sag against.

Maggie's eyes are closed and she's panting, breathing wetly through her mouth. She has a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead. Lucy reaches out and tucks them behind Maggie's ear and Maggie hardly seems to register the touch.

Lucy lets her fingers trace back over Maggie's forehead - she's hot to the touch.

Finding and wetting a second cloth, Lucy wipes Maggie's tear stains and then lays the cool cloth on her forehead. Maggie hisses and then sighs.

"T'nks," she mumbles.

"Course."

When Maggie is still for a while and Lucy thinks the nausea has passed she coaxes Maggie to stand. Maggie doesn't try to push away Lucy's offered hand up, and her fingers shake and grip too tightly, betraying how weak she is. Lucy shuffles them forward, helping Maggie to lean and brace her weight against the counter.

"Here, rinse and spit."

Maggie mutely does as she's told, taking the cup and rinsing out her mouth. When she's done, Lucy slides the toothbrush and toothpaste forward and Maggie complies.

Lucy lays a steadying hand on the small of Maggie's back as she brushes her teeth; she can see how weak and unsteady Maggie is on her feet. When she's done Lucy gets her to take something for her stomach and then leads her to Alex's gigantic bed.

She doesn't question why Maggie is alone in Alex's apartment when Alex is out of town. She doesn't question why Maggie isn't at her own place heaving her guts out.

Lucy knows that as much as she wouldn't want to admit it, Alex's apartment is exactly where she'd want to be if the roles were reversed. Because Alex feels like home.

Maggie drops weakly to sit on the bed. She's sweaty and clammy in her clothes and Lucy doesn't want Maggie to be uncomfortable.

"Stay put," she tells her. As if Maggie has the energy to go anywhere.

Maggie is blinking slowly and staring out the window, half zoned-out. Lucy isn't sure Maggie's even heard her. Her eyes are unfocused and glossy.

Lucy hunts around the room for some of Alex's things, things that will smell and feel like Alex. It's not like Lucy really knows Maggie, but they have Alex in common, so Lucy tries to find something she herself would want to wear.

Maggie is curled up in a ball on the bed when Lucy looks back at her and it pinches Lucy's chest. Maggie has her legs curled up against her and her forehead pressed to her knees. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she's quivering.

It doesn't feel unnatural to sit next to Maggie on the bed. Lucy eases the hair tie out and combs her fingers gently through Maggie's hair, trying to soothe her. When Maggie's whimpers quiet, Lucy helps her to sit up.

Maggie is too weak and dizzy to change out of her clothes on her own, and Lucy isn't sure Maggie is fully present at the moment. She looks too miserable to be embarrassed so Lucy keeps her hands and her eyes respectful as she helps Maggie change into one of Alex's sleep shirts and a pair of boxers.

She turns the bed down and eases Maggie under the covers. She still feels hot to the touch so Lucy leaves her for a moment, moving back to the washroom to re-wet both of the cloths. When she comes back she sits on the bed next to Maggie and lays one cool cloth at the back of her neck and the other on her forehead.

Maggie hasn't opened her eyes since Lucy helped her into the sleep clothes. She curls up into a ball again, moaning weakly and dropping her head into Lucy's lap.

Lucy's eyes widen but she doesn't say anything. She isn't sure Maggie knows where she is, or if Maggie knows whom she's with. Her fingers card through Maggie's sweaty hair, feeling sympathetic but unsure what else she can do to help.

Maggie leans into the touch for a little while, but eventually, her breathing evens out and her body relaxes. Lucy shifts Maggie from her lap to a pillow and Maggie curls around it, clinging to it tightly in her sleep. Lucy pulls the covers over her but stays sitting next to her on the bed. She isn't satisfied that Maggie is okay enough for Lucy to leave her alone just yet.

This is someone Alex cares deeply for, someone who shares her life with Alex, and it makes Lucy want to watch over her and make sure she's okay. Even if she doesn't know her, Maggie is important to Alex, and Alex is important to Lucy. So Lucy will stay.

Half leaning out of the bed and clutching the comforter to try and keep from dropping onto the floor, Lucy hangs over the side of the bed and gropes her fingertips over the floor until she finds Maggie's jeans. She drags them closer and digs Maggie's phone out of the back pocket.

When she sits back up, she eases Maggie's grip off the pillow enough that she can use Maggie's thumbprint to unlock the phone.

Because that's totally legal.

Maggie curls closer to Lucy in her sleep, her body naturally seeking out comfort.

Lucy rubs Maggie's back absentmindedly as she pulls up Maggie's chat with Alex and then texts her girlfriend with Maggie's phone.

_Hey._

Alex replies a moment later.

_Feeling better babe?_

_It's Lucy._

It's not until Alex's reply comes in that Lucy realizes her text may have come off wrong.

_What? Maggie what happened is Lucy okay?_

_No, it's me, it's Lucy._

_…why are you texting me from maggie's phone?_

_Cause mine's at 1%._

_Still doesn't answer my question  
??_

_I came by your place to pick up those papers that you still didn't sign BY THE WAY._  
And I found her hugging the toilet.   
She's asleep now.

_Oh  
How is she?_

_Well her stomach has to be completely empty by now. She's clammy and has a fever. Got her cleaned up and into bed once it seemed like she had nothing left to throw up._

As an afterthought, Lucy adds, _She frowns in her sleep._

_Wait how long have you been there?_

Lucy's eyes flick to the time displayed at the top of the phone and she replies, _An hour or so?_

_You  
You stayed?_

Lucy rolls her eyes as she types out her reply. She can practically hear Alex's surprise.

_Alex, she's your girlfriend, of course I stayed. You think I was going to hear her heaving her guts out and ignore that? Give me some credit. I'm not as emotionally stunted as you seem to think._

_You didn't have to stay_

_I know.  
Is she an orange juice sick person or a gatorade sick person?_

_What_

_When she's sick, does Maggie like orange juice or gatorade?_

_Neither why_

_Because I need to keep her hydrated, you dumbass.  
So just water then?_

_No lemonade_

_Ew. Really?_

_She won't drink it any other time but that'll be what she wants when she wakes up_

_That's weird, but okay. Anything else?_

_What?_

_Anything else she's going to want? I can run by the store and get her some sick person things._

_Lucy you don't have to do that_

_I'm aware.  
I'm still going to._

There's a long pause before Alex next text comes through.

_Thank you_

_Of course, babe. Anything else she'll want?_

_Crackers at first and if she can keep those down then orange slices_

_You sound like a worried parent._

_I hate you_

_No, you love me, and you love Maggie, so that's why I'm staying. I'll keep you updated on how she's doing._

_Thanks luce  
My phone charger is in the microwave btw_

_Is that a hint to get off Maggie's phone?  
Also in? Typo?_

_Not a typo. Kara. Don't ask  
And, I mean, yes... it's not your phone_

Lucy's next messages are sent rapid-fire.

_Jesus Alex come on, I'm just texting you, I'm not going through her phone. You know that I understand the term breach of privacy, right?_  
I know you get distracted by my deo gear and my dress blues but I AM still a lawyer.  
Though I mean.  
If I were to go through her photos and find some naughty pics.  
They'd either be of you or of her.  
And it's not like I don't have racy photos of you on my phone, hot stuff.  
And I just helped her into her pjs.  
She'd have a hot body if she wasn't so sickly and gross right now.  
I can see why you do her.

Maggie was hardly awake so Lucy made it a point not to look at Maggie's body without her consent, but it's fun getting Alex riled up.

_Lucy!_  
Seriously?  
Right now?

_Okay, okay, I'll stop.  
Go back to whatever it is you are doing in freaking PARIS without me._

_I'm here for work, you were the one who recommended me for this_

_Sure, sure.  
I'll take care of the invalid. _

_Thank you  
I love you_

_I love you too._  
And when Maggie wakes up I'll tell her you love her.  
Wait.  
Wait you guys are there, right?  
You have said I love you?  
Cause if I tell her you do before you tell her then we're gonna have a problem.  
Also if you've been dating her this long and haven't said it yet then we're gonna have an even bigger problem, Danvers.

It's just so easy to get Alex going.

_Lucy!_  
Of course we've said I love you  
I can't believe you  
You asshole

Lucy smirks and sends Alex a big smiley face and then a winking and kissing face before she puts Maggie's phone down on the bedside table.

Maggie seems peaceful in her sleep. She's still frowning, but she seems okay enough that Lucy feels comfortable leaving her be.

Slipping silently from the bed, Lucy makes her way through Alex's apartment. She grabs her phone and then goes to the microwave, where there is, in fact, a phone charger inside.

She'd ask Kara what that's all about, but Kara is Supergirl right now and Supergirl is also in Paris.

She plugs her dying phone in and finds two text messages, both from Vasquez.

_Thought you said you were coming into work?_

And then a second one from them thirty minutes later, _Text me back so I know you're not dead, Lane._

Lucy stands still, dying phone in her hands, waiting for it to pick up enough charge so that she can text Vas without her phone completely giving up.

_Back._

Their reply is instantaneous.

_So funny, Major Danger.  
Where the hell are you?_

_With Maggie._

_Alex's Maggie?_

_The same. She's sick. I found her at Alex's expelling her stomach contents. 'Twas gross._

_She okay?_

_I don't know? She's sleeping right now, but I don't know if I should leave her. She has a bad fever._  
Don't know how long she was like that before I found her.  
Also don't know if it's food poisoning or the flu or what.

_So clearly you know a lot._  
Well it's not like you're even supposed to be in today, Miss What Is A Day Off, so if you want to stay with her, you can.  
You tell Alex?

_Yeah, I talked to her. Said I'd keep her posted about Maggie.  
Do you know how Paris is going?_

_Chatter says it's going as fine as can be expected. It appears Agent Danvers punched someone she shouldn't have._

_What else is new._

_Hey, you're the one dating her._

_Only cause she's hot._

_Valid._

_Valid reason to date someone, or valid cause you agree she's hot._

_Both, Lane. Now go take care of your girlfriend's sick partner._  
If you pick up any germs you better not come into work.  
I won't sit with you at lunch.

_Okay Mx High School Drama Regent._

Lucy's quite proud of herself for that one.

Vas replies back by flipping her off. Which is probably the emoji they send to Lucy most often. Lucy deserves it about eighty-four percent of the time.

Lucy sends them a cheeky smile and then puts her phone down so it can charge undisturbed.

There is neither lemonade nor oranges in the fridge. There are lemons, and there is orange juice, but not the things Alex said Maggie will want.

Lucy checks the cupboard and finds chips and a mostly empty bag of bread but absolutely no crackers.

It's appalling, really. Lucy knows that the majority of the food she does find in Alex's kitchen is either hers or Maggie's doing because Alex is terrible at taking care of herself. Alex can cook, but it's the shopping and actually taking the time to prepare meals that she neglects to do on a regular basis.

Not that she really thinks Maggie is going to wake up, and Lucy resolves to be quick, but she sends Maggie a quick text telling her she's only running to the store and back. They have each other's numbers, courtesy of Alex. So far it's only been used when Alex picked a fight with the wrong alien and Lucy had to tell Maggie to come by the DEO immediately because Alex was bleeding out and it did not look good. Alex was already surrounded by Lucy and Kara crying over her, it wouldn't have been fair for Lucy not to inform Maggie.

Maggie getting basically Supergirl-level clearance at the city base was all Alex's doing. Lucy had been the one to send the two of them down to see Pam so that Maggie could sign the NDA and oodles of forms.

So they have each other's numbers. At first, it seemed weird, it seemed like Alex was over-sharing somehow, trying to link two separate parts of her life. But now that Lucy has it, it is a comforting presence. Even if they don't use it, knowing they have that lifeline if anything ever goes wrong is welcome, not uncomfortable or unwanted. All three of them live dangerous lives.

It's not uncomfortable anymore for Lucy, at least; she doesn't know how Maggie feels about it.

At the store, Lucy picks up lemonade and oranges. She searches the wall of artisan crackers, looking for the plainest things she can find. She's heard Alex complain often enough about Maggie's usual breakfast order to know plain crackers are the way to go.

Impulsively, Lucy stops at the hot counter and picks up a container of fresh chicken soup for Maggie. She's not really sure why she does it, but she sees the soups as she's walking past and she can't stop herself.

She grabs a gatorade for herself, and a bar of plain milk chocolate for Maggie for when she does start to feel better. One thing she does know about Maggie is that Maggie has a sweet tooth. Mostly because Maggie has a habit of eating all the sweet things Lucy leaves at Alex's; she probably doesn’t know they're Lucy's, but she eats them just the same. She's as bad as Kara.

Well, no. No one is as bad as Kara.

What Lucy wouldn't give to have that girl's metabolism.

She makes it back to Alex's apartment in under twenty minutes and feels her heart ease when she finds Maggie exactly where she left her, curled in the centre of Alex's sinfully comfortable bed.

She putters around the kitchen, putting the crackers and the chocolate on the counter and the lemonade and oranges in the fridge. She pours the soup into a lidded pot but leaves the burner off for now, until Maggie feels like trying to keep some food down.

"Hey."

Lucy turns. Maggie stands near the couch, squinting and with a hesitant look on her face. Lucy notes that Maggie is gripping the back of the couch tightly, steadying herself.

"Hey. Feeling any better?"

One of Maggie's hands moves to cover her stomach and she grimaces.

"Here," Lucy says, turning away so she can pour Maggie a glass of lemonade.

Maggie crosses the room slowly and settles down onto one of the barstools. Lucy slides her the glass and Maggie stares at it.

"It's not poison, Sawyer."

"How did you…?"

"I talked to Alex. She said that was your favourite."

Maggie nods. She takes a slow sip and smiles and it makes Lucy let out a breath.

"It's warm in here."

"No," Lucy says. "That's you. You have a fever."

"Oh." She takes another sip of the lemonade.

Lucy studies Maggie. Her hair is damp and half-plastered to her head. She can see the sheen of sweat on Maggie's face, which is still pale. She sits tensely on the chair, and Lucy gets the feeling Maggie is working very hard to keep herself composed in front of Lucy, like she's afraid to show that she's dizzy or weak or shaking.

Lucy thinks a shower would be best for Maggie right now; it will help her feel fresh after the morning she's had, and it might help to bring her temperature down.

But Maggie is also blinking rapidly and Lucy is not sure Maggie could manage a shower on her own right now. She sways a bit in her seat.

Lucy decides it's better to get some food into Maggie first.

"I bought you some crackers," Lucy says, nodding to the box. "If you feel up to it."

Maggie looks at the box with longing, but then she grimaces. "Maybe just one or two."

Lucy sets about opening the box. She dumps a small amount onto a plate and slides it over to Maggie. "I got you soup, too, if you feel like it later. And oranges."

"Um. Okay?"

"What?"

"I just," Maggie takes a slow, small bite of one of the crackers. "Wasn't expecting you. Here. Or to stay, you know?"

Lucy tries for casual. "I was worried, I wasn't going to leave you."

"We don't really know each other."

Lucy sighs. "You're a big part of my life."

"I’m a big part of Alex's life," Maggie corrects.

"Which makes you a big part of my life, even if you and I aren't the ones dating."

Maggie chews and considers this.

"Look," Lucy starts to explain. "It scared me a little, seeing you like that. And no one should feel alone when they're that helpless, so yeah, I stayed. Not, not just for Alex, but for you, too. You're a good person, Maggie. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

When Maggie nods but doesn't say anything, Lucy feels obligated to keep talking. "Alex and Kara are both away so I didn't know if there was someone else I should have called. I wasn't going to root through your phone looking for a friend or a co-worker I could get to come look after you."

Maggie bristles and Lucy eases back a step.

"Look, if you don't want me here, if you aren't comfortable with me being here with you, I can go."

Maggie considers this and then lets out a sigh. "No, you're good." She doesn't look up at Lucy, she keeps her focus down on her plate.

Lucy thinks Maggie is still too exhausted to put up any sort of fight. But that doesn't mean Lucy can't read Maggie's body language and pick up on her boundaries.

Lucy slowly walks around to Maggie's side of the countertop. Then she reaches her hand forward, letting Maggie see it and giving her the option of pulling away. Maggie doesn't, so Lucy settles her hand on top of Maggie's clammy one.

"You're important to Alex, Maggie. Which makes you important to me. It doesn't have to be weird. I'm just looking after you until you're okay enough to look after yourself."

Maggie nods and accepts this. Lucy pulls her hand away before Maggie starts to feel uncomfortable with the contact.

"When does Alex get back?" Maggie asks.

"Three days." Maggie sighs and Lucy gives her a sympathetic look. "You should text her, or call her. She's worried. She loves you."

Lucy sees the way the words wrap around Maggie and eases some of her tension.

"And a shower might do you good if you're up to it," she adds.

"Are you saying I smell?" Maggie jokes weakly.

"I mean, I'm sure you've smelled worse. I bet Alex could vouch for that."

Maggie shakes her head.

Lucy can see that Maggie is still unsure, isn't totally comfortable with Lucy's presence. She's accepted being taken care of, but she and Lucy aren't friends, so Maggie isn't sure how to navigate this.

Lucy doesn't want to push, so she doesn't say anything when Maggie gets to her feet. She's eaten all four of the crackers on the plate. Lucy tracks her movement, watching to see if Maggie shakes or wavers.

Her hands hover, ready to catch her if Maggie has a dizzy spell, but Lucy leaves considerable space between them, letting Maggie make the decision if she's okay on her own or if she needs help.

Maggie grips the bar stool tightly, but she smiles tentatively at Lucy. "I think I'm going to go lay down again. But, maybe I could try some of that soup after?"

Lucy doesn't want to make this a big deal, doesn't want to make Maggie any more uncomfortable, so all she says is, "Sure, Sawyer."

Maggie makes it halfway across the apartment before slowly turning around.

"You, uh, you're staying?" Maggie asks.

"If you're okay with it. I've got my laptop, I have some work things I can do."

"Yeah, that'd be okay."

Lucy watches Maggie attentively the entire time she walks back to Alex's outrageous bed. Only when Maggie is settled and laying back down does Lucy turn away. She gets out a cutting board and a knife to make some orange slices for Maggie.

"Hey, Lane?" Maggie calls from across the open space.

"Yeah?"

"Did you, uh, did you use my phone?"

Lucy smiles.

 


End file.
